ALCYONARIA GORGONACEA 



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includes Gorgonia {Bhipidogorgia) flabellum, the well-known fan 

 Gorgonia with intimately anastomosing branches, from the warm 

 waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The genera Eugorgia, Verrill, and 

 Leptogorgia, Milne Edwards, differ from Gorgonia in the char- 

 acter of the spicules. In Xiphigorgia, Milne Edwards, from the 

 West Indies, the branches are much compressed, forming at 

 the edges wing-like ridges, which bear the zoopores in rows. 

 Malacogorgia, Hickson, has no spicules. Cape of Good Hope. 



Fam. 7. Gorgonellidae. — In this family the horny axis is 

 impregnated with lime. The surface of the coenenchym is 

 usually smooth, and the spicules small. The colonies are some- 

 times unbranched {Jun- 

 cella). In the branching 

 forms the axis of the 

 terminal branches is 

 often very fine and 

 thread-like in dimen- 

 sions. 



The principal genera 

 are : — Gorgonella, with 

 a ramified flabelliform 

 axis ; Ctenocella, with 

 a peculiar double-comb 

 manner of branching ; 

 and Juncella, which 

 forms very long un- 

 branched or slightly 

 branched colonies, with ^'°- ^^^ 

 club - shaped spicules. 

 All these genera are found in shallow water in the tropical or 

 semi-tropical regions of the world. Verrucella is a genus with 

 delicate anastomosing branches found principally in the shallow 

 tropical waters of the Atlantic shores. Like many of the Gorgo- 

 nacea, with branches disposed in one plane (flabelliform) Verrucella 

 frequently carries a considerable number of epizoic Brittle stars, 

 which wind their flexible arms round the branches, and thus 

 obtain a firm attachment to their host. There is no reason to 

 suppose that these Brittle stars are in any sense parasitic, as a 

 specimen that bears many such forms shows no sign of injury or 

 degeneration, and it is possible they may even be of service to 



— Verrucella guadaloupensis, with an epizoic 

 Brittle star (Oph.) of similar colour. 



